Universal panel mastering fixture



Dc. 4, 1951 L. A. BRYANT 2,577,509

UNIVERSAL PANEL MASTERING FIXTURE Filed Nov. 21, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet l FIG. i.

lo I4 INVENTOR LELAND IX.` BRYANT Mm, f/ZW ATTORNEYS Y Dec- 4, i951 A. BRYANT UNIVERSAL PANEL MASTERING FIXTURE Filed Nov. 2l, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR LELAND A. BRYANT Wurf VM ATTORNEYS Dec. 4, 1951 L.. A. BRYANT UNIVERSAL PANEL MASTERING FIXTURE Filed Nov. 21'. 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR LELAND -A. BRYANT WMV ATTORNEYS l Patented iiDec. v4, 195i iJNiTED STATES LTEN'I" `AFFCE `2,577,509 Y UNIVERSAL PANEL MASTERING ludicrous Leland A. Bryant, Beverly Hills, oalif.

Application November 21, 1947, S erial No. 787,297

l 2 claims. (ol. zel- 286) 2 This invention relates generally to the assembly making possible the practical proofing of the delol? COInIJleX struetures, Such aS airplane and bus sign 'and planning before any repetitive produc- 'and special assembly jigs in the initial stages and bodies, and more particularly to the provision of tion is commenced.

a universal master fixture designed to alloro It is a further object of the invention to promeans for readily assembling the Various come. l vide a universal xture means which may be utiponents of such structures precisely in accordlized to prove out experimentally various design ance with engineering design and preplanned modifications in a given product from time to manufacturing methods during initial stages of time as may be found necessary or desirable.

production or in the building Vf a prototype In my Vcopending application hereinabove remodel 0f a nevir Structure. This application iS a ,1 ferred to., means including correlated straight Continuation in Dart 0f my oopending application edges are provided for the purpose of building Serial No. 484,640, filed April 23,1943Vsince maassembly jigs and fixtures for use in a productured into Patent NO- 2,433,889, dated January 6, tion assembly line operating in accordance with 1948. l advanced'manufacturing methods. An object'of In the manufacture of any complex structural .15 the present invention is to provide what is priassembly, especially one embodying loanel asnlarily an adjustable fix-ture means for use dur- Semblies, it is highly desirable that the Same be `ing early stages ofrnanufacture adapted to take accomplished through production breakdown the place temporarily of the nal xtures prowhich permits of mechanized preiabrication of duced by use of the means Set forth m my cothe components which are precisely coordinated pending application or by other Well known in order that they may be readily joined together methods. While the means disclosed in my eon Pre-planned Sequences leading up to final aS- pending application might be adapted for use as sembly. In order to accomplish this,.it has herea .iixture, it is not suitable for this purpose and tofore been necessary to provide extensive coornecessarily is limited m its adaptability by readinated tooling. However, this is objectionable son of the met that it embraces many parts unin that the DrOVisiOn 0f Such tooling is a long and ne'cessaryfor such use. In addition, the arrange- Costly Process inl/'olVng the fabrication of master ment of the parts in that device is such that the gauges and an exceptionally large number 0f `same are rendered awkward for use of the whole diversied assembly jigs and xtures. as a xture. On the other hand, the present AS a result, it is often the practice t0 forego invention is primarily designed and adapted for such manufacturing breakdown during the ini 30 use asfa universal fixture and is peculiarly suited tial stages of production and to construct an en- .foi-tine However, the Vpresent invention may tirely different kind of assembly fixtures which also be used in conjunction with gauges ond tem Permit 0f Iltting and joining O the loose Darts plates to locate accurately the various parts of into relatively large aggregations- Thus the jigs and fixtures and thus can be used in the manufacturing program is begun by building 0r 35 fabrication of fixtures for use irl-various stages hand methods rather than true manufacturing of production,

methods, with the result that the solution of in- It is also an object of the invention to provide herent manufacturing difoulties during the sucha lixture means as the type indicated which early stages of production development 1s en- ,includes apair of relatively adjustable parallel tirely precluded, production line up andassembly 40 straight edges designed to make use of inexpenroutines become crystallized on Whatmay be Ysive metal templates which can be producedditermed a DrimtiVe basis and the Subsequent Drerectly from engineering layouts and linear measvision and use of assembly jigs and fixtures stl-Cb urement requirements with which to accurately as are necessary for the intended manufacturing locate requisite nesting, clamping and work holdbreakdown involves a revolutionary transformamg devices upon the Straight edges In this com tion ln the mod e 0f Productlon undef dlmcf't nection it is an object to provide means which circumstances ,Wlthout bnem of .practlcal trial' maybe readily and quickly set up or adjusted for It is an obJect of this lnventlon to provide a particular problem means for readily assembling the numerous com- These and ther Ogjects Wm be apparent from onents of such a roduct or structureY eXactly 1pm accordance witg engineering design and the'followmg description and acompanymg drawplanned productionomethods during the initial illes R'efelrlng t0 the drawlngs, which are for stages of production,v thereby eliminating the ,lllllstutlVe Purposes only! l necessity of providing otherwise' costly gauges Fig. 'l is an elevational view of a device eln- 'bodying the invention;n

scale of a gauge suitable for use in setting the i straight edges;

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of a portion of the apparatus set up for a given problem; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective View of a portion of the apparatus set up for another problem.

More particularly describing the invention, the device of the invention comprises a pair of elongated length defining members which will be 4termed straight edges, generally indicated by numerals I and I2, which are adjustably mounted on two or more columns or posts I4, Each of Athe straight edges is provided with an extremely accurately machined straight working face I upon which may be located various fittings, one of which is shown in Fig. 2 and generally indicated by numeral I6, and with a plurality of l evenly spaced reference holes I'I which will be' more fully described later.

Referring particularly to the construction of the columns or posts I4 which support the straight edges, it is contemplated that any suitable upright might be used for mounting tha-$5 straight edges with means for adjustably positioning the straight edges thereon. However, the form of means illustrated comprises the columns I4, each of which includes a vertically extending tube 20 which may be of steel or other suitable material mounted on a plurality of radially extending legs 22, 22 forming a base. In view of the fact that the straight edges are mounted at one side of the columns, it is preferable, in order to provide a stable structure, to utilize a -somewhat longer leg (22') on the side of the column on which the straight edges are mounted. In use, each columny should be vertical and for this reason each of the legs is provided with a base or floor contacting foot member 23 and at least two of these are vertically adjustable as by means of a threaded bolt 24 which may be received in the foot and threadedly mounted in the leg.

Mounted on what will be termed the front face of each tube is a vertically extending guide member or gib 26 which is welded or otherwise secured to the tube 20 in any suitable manner. The member 26 is provided with a machined iiat straight face 2l against which the straight edges are secured and with a T slot 28.

The two straight edges are shown as box sections provided with a pair of machined surfaces --30 adjacent the columns which abut the machined surface 2'I of the gib 26. The Straight edges are secured to the columns by means of T bolts 3I which extend through openings 32 in the straight edges and have their heads received in the T slots 28 of the guide members. Nuts 33 are positioned on the T bolts for tightening same. With this construction the straight edges may `be adjustably positioned on the columns at any desired height. It may be pointed out that the rmachined surface 30 extends the length of the straight edges in each case to form a squaring and indicated by 5l.

guide for the flttings which are located thereon, as will subsequently be described.

Preferably the upper straight edge is counterbalanced for ease of adjustment by a weight 34 within each column. A cable 35 extends from the weight over a sheave 36 at the top of the column and is anchored to the upper side of the straight edge at 38. It is contemplated that, if desired, means may be provided for counterbalancing the lower straight edge in order to aiiord easy vertical adjustment of this member. However, since in use the lower straight edge will usually be near the floor, this straight edge may bevertically adjusted by means of jacks placed thereunder.

The straight edges are provided with opposed working faces 40 which, in the form of the invention illustrated, comprise an inner pair of lands 4I and an outer pair 42. These faces are carefully machined to provide smooth fiat accurate straight surfaces designed to accommodate suitable ttings hereinafter to be described. Intermediate the two inner faces 4I the straight edge is provided with a T slot 44.

The front faces of the straight edges are provided with evenly spaced reference holes II disposed in the same plane. For use in making aircraft structures for example, the holes may be disposed on ten inch centers to correspond to modern aerodynamic design or lofting practice which makes use of reference or grid lines spaced ten inches apart. It is, of course, contemplated that the reference holes may be regularly spaced at some other distance suitable to the type of drawings and engineering data used in a particular type of production.

The straight edges are adapted to support fittings I6 to be accurately positioned thereon. The ttings may take several shapes depending upon the production problem to be solved, however, regardless of the shape of the fittings they have certain common features. These features include a reference hole for locating the fitting in a precise position on the straight edge, as will later be explained, an accurate flat face to rest on the straight edge, an accurate guide to locate the fitting in square relation to the straight edge, means whereby the iitting may be secured to the straight edge, and means whereby a template or other member may be mounted thereon.

Referring now to Fig. 5, which illustrates one form of iitting I6, numeral indicates a platelike body provided with a iat machined undersurface 5I. The member 50 is bored to accommodate a pair of T bolts 52 and nuts 53 which serve to secure the fitting to the straight edge. On one side the iitting has a depending guide flange 50 to bear against the machined surface 30. On its other side the body is provided with a locator or reference hole 55. Centrally of the tting and in a common plane extending transversely thereof are three vertical bores, the outer two of which are smooth and indicated by numeral 56 and the inner one of which is threaded The tting is designed to accommodate a dummy or adaptor tting which has holes adapted to register with the holes 56 and 5'I of the body 50. Such a dummy fitting is shown in broken lines in Fig. 5 and has been designated by reference numeral 60.

In Fig. 6 there is shown a combination fitting 62 which includes a platelike body 63 having a flat undersurface 64 and an upstanding wall or flange 65 extending transversely thereof. A guide flange 66 is provided at one side of the fitting.

'5 iThe body "is provided with a pair of holes 61 to rceive T bolts 68 which are used in conjunction with nuts 69 to secure the fitting Vto the straight edge. The Vbody is also provided with a reference hole '19. Extending through the flange 65 are three holes l2 which may receive bolts :for securing a template, fixture or other member to the fitting.

In use. in a given problem, the straight edges are aligned so that they are parallel in the 'same vertical plane and spaced apart the required distance. The spacing of the straight edges may be accomplished by accurate gauges. One form of gauge which is suitable for this work is shown in Fig. 7. The gauge, indicated generally by numeral l5, comprises a pair of telescoping tubes 'IB and ll in which are mounted respectively a pair of end plates 78, bored to provide holes i9 of the same diameter as the reference holes l1 of the straight edges and the reference holes of the fittings. The outer tube is slotted at its inner end at 89 and provided with apertured lugs 8| through which bolts 82 extend, provided with securing nuts 83. The length of the gauge 'l5 can be determined by suitable precision means and the bolts and nuts 32, 83 tightened. Dowels 81 can be used for insertion in the holes 19 of the gauge and the reference holes of the straight edges. Preferably several of such gauges are used including one or more inclined at an angle other than 90 to the straight edges. These gauges may be left in the straight edges during the period of setting up the particular Work to insure accuracy, one gauge 15 being shown in Fig. 8.

Fittings of Whatever type are to be used for the particular problem can be accurately located along the straight edges by means of strip templates 85 or by use of an adjustable micro-bar gauge. These templates are elongated narrow strips of metal (Fig. 5) which have a plurality of mounting holes 36 evenly spaced along the bottom edge to correspond to the reference holes l1 of the straight edges. Along its upper edge the template is provided With one or more locating holes 88, the positions of which have been determined from an engineering layout or other data. The template is mounted on the straight edge by means of dowels 81 extending through the holes 89 and the reference holes I1 of the straight edge. Then, by means of another dowel, 89, the fitting I6 can be accurately located on the straight edge, the dowel being used to obtain registration of the hole 55 of the fitting with the locating hole 88 of the template. The fitting is then securely bolted to the straight edge and the tem- 5 plate can either be removed or left in place to insure accuracy. Other fittings as may be required are then positioned on the straight edges in the same manner.

In Fig. 8 a plurality of formers 90, which have been out from a master template, are shown mounted directly on the fittings 62 by means of bolts 9i.. It will be understood that each former has a reference hole 92 at each end and these holes are all on a common reference line running longitudinally of the structure to be fabricated. A dowel 93 may be placed through each of these holes and the corresponding holes of the fittings to check accuracy of the formers and to properly position them before they are bolted in place.

In Fig. 9, the device is shown set up to act as a fixture for holding ribs 95 which are to farm a part of a panel structure to be assembled. In this use, the adapter or dummy fittings 60 (Fig. 5) mounted on ttings I6, are used to mount the 6 ribs bymeans of pins 95'. Ina'llset'ups,dis'-a tances of `the fittings above thestraight edges and the'distances they extend outwardly therefrom, and the' distances-from the reference holes of the fittings are known and due allowance made therefor in initially positioning the `straight edges and in positioning the fittings.

It will be understood that the xture Vmeans disclosed can be utilized in many Ways' which have not been described and that various changes and modifications can be made therein vv'ithout departing from the lscope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Iclaim: y

1. In a universal fixture, a pair of columns mounted for movement bodily, each of said columns having a vertically extending straight guide face and means for leveling the column whereby the same may be accurately vertically disposed, a pair of elongated length defining members adapted to be mounted on said columns, said length defining members each having a longitudinally extending Working face and a longitudinally extending flat guide surface at right angles thereto, said latter guide surfaces having abutting engagement With the guide faces of said columns, said members being disposed with the working faces opposed, means for adjustably securing said members to said columns in parallel spaced relation including connterbalance means operatively connected to at least one of said length defining members whereby the vertical spaced relationship of said Imembers can be readily varied as desired, longitudinally extending vertical surfaces on each of said length defining members at right angles to said working faces having reference holes evenly spaced therealong, a locator fitting having a locator hole, said locator fitting being mounted on the working face of one of said length defining members, said locator tting having an accurate flat face resting on said working face and an accurate flat guide surface in abutting engagement with the longitudinally at guide surface of said length dening member for squaring the fitting relative to the length defining member, means cooperating with said locator hole in the fitting and said reference holes in the length defining member for properly positioning the fitting, and means for securing said fitting to said length dening member. r

2. In a universal fixture, a pair of upright columns, each of said columns having a vertically extending flat accurate guide face, a pair of elongated length defining members each having a longitudinally extending working face and a longitudinally extending flat guide surface at right angles thereto, said latter guide surfaces having abutting engagement, with the guide faces of said columns, means for adjustably securing said members to said columns in parallel relation with said working faces opposed, said working faces each comprising an inner pair of longitudinally extending flat-surfaced lands, an outer pair of longitudinally extending fiat-surfaced lands and a slot intermediate said inner pair of lands, longitudinally extending vertical surfaces on each of said length defining members at right angles to said Working faces having reference holes evenly spaced therealong, a locator fitting having a locator hole, said locator tting being mounted on the working face of one of said length defining members, said locator fitting having an accurate fiat face resting on the lands 75 of said working face and an accurate flat guide surface in abutting engagement with the longitudinally extending flat guide surface of said length defining member for squaring the fitting relative to the length dening member, means cooperating with said locator hole in the tting and said reference holes in the length dening member for properly positioning the tting, and means adjustably mounted in the slot intermedi- -atte the inner pair of lands for securing said fitting to said length defining member.

LELAND A. BRYANT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 8 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Justice June 26, 1906 Koepp July 29, 1919 Fuller Aug. 7, 1923 Bonswor Mar. 22, 1927 Aska July 18, 1933 Ladigo Aug. 1, 1933 Henderson Aug. 20, 1940 Jablow Apr. 1, 1941 Weightman Aug. 31, 1943 Roach June 12, 1945 Bryant Jan. 6, 1948 

